1935 SHUNK STREET
Free Library, Thomas F. Donatucci Sr. Branch
Neo-Classical
The Trustees of the Girard Estate donated land for the construction of a Free Library branch, which they considered an important amenity for the community. Designed by John Torrey Windrim, the one-story brick building strives for monumentality through classical symmetry and detailing. Up a broad flight of steps, the centralized entrance is flanked by a pair of fluted Doric columns supporting a Doric frieze of tryglyphs and metopes. Originally the Passyunk Branch, this is one of 25 Carnegie libraries in Philadelphia built with a grant from the industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. In 2004, the Passyunk Branch was renamed in honor of Thomas F. Donatucci, Sr., a lifelong resident of South Philadelphia who served the community from the 1930s until his death in 1970.